The Taiwan eSports League (TeSL) was established in 2008 and is currently moving into its sixth season. TeSL was the second major professional StarCraft II league in the world, and the first to have live StarCraft II games on national TV.

Tryouts consisted of a best of 64 tournaments in which players were awarded points according to how far they got. At the end of the nine-week tryout period players with the highest amount of points were invited to attend one last tournament where representatives from all the teams came to watch the players in action and interact with them. After the tournament the 5 teams went into a secret meeting room to hold a draft. First each team gave a “wish list” of five players that they wanted. Each team’s wish list was written on a white board, and if a team had a player that no other team included in their list, that team automatically got that player. Then the teams took turns according to the order picking players that several teams had included in their list. Most teams drafted four players while some teams only drafted three. Not every player that was drafted was eventually signed. A couple of teams decided to sign other players that were not drafted that day.

This new season saw the arrival of one of the best Taiwanese players, Sen, drafted by the Gama Bears, which finished TeSL 2011 in last position. Additionally, Taoyuan Jets did not participate in this season.

The Winter eSports 2012 Taiwan Open was played after the first half of the season, to decide the First Half Champion of TeSL 2011-2012. At the end of 2011-2012 season, after 108 matches played during the regular season, the match for the Second Half Championship has been played. A few weeks later, the Summer eSports 2012 Taiwan Open took place, crowning the Champion of TeSL 2011-2012.

In August 2012, one month before the start of the new season, Xpec Ironmen became Yoe Ironmen, after a change of their main sponsor.

On February 8th 2013, TeSL has officially announced a change in the league format.[1]
In the second half of the 2012-2013 season, TeSL will drop the team league format and adopt an individual league composing of an open qualifier, a challenge tournament, and the professional league. The format is analogous to the GSL, where the challenge tournament is similar to the Up&Down.

12 players (10 Taiwanese players + 2 invited foreigners) competed in the professional league during the regular season. In order to become a tournament awarding WCS points, the league stopped inviting players, and removed the Taiwanese/non-Taiwanese separation, however keeping the number of players (twelve). The qualification process is open to every player.

TeSL cooperates with the Videoland Television Network which is the same network that broadcasts professional baseball and other big sporting events in Taiwan. Matches are held in a recording studio without a live audience. The players are in a different room than the casters, so they don't need to be in soundproof rooms. The three players that will play in any match are decided before hand and sit in front of a row of computers at the two sides of the room. For anyone in Taiwan, the broadcasts are shown live on Channel 71 at around 9:30pm every Saturday and Sunday night.